{"id":45783,"date":"2025-01-17T01:57:52","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T09:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=45783"},"modified":"2025-01-14T19:04:49","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T03:04:49","slug":"weekly-vigils-enter-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2025\/01\/17\/weekly-vigils-enter-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly vigils enter new year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kfir Bibas was abducted before his first birthday. His second birthday is this Saturday. (photo by Pat Johnson)<\/i><\/p>\n

The Gregorian calendar has turned over a new year, but the vigils for the Israeli hostages continue without interruption.<\/p>\n

Daphna Kedem, who has organized the weekly events since hours after the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, acknowledged that it has been effectively an additional full-time job and that the commitment has taken a toll.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s also given me energy to continue, in a strange way,\u201d she told the Independent<\/i> in the moments before the vigil at Vancouver City Hall last Sunday. \u201cI have to be here. I have to do it. I can\u2019t be anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inevitably, numbers have dwindled from the initial weeks, and some people have suggested to Kedem that she alter the events from weekly to monthly to get the numbers up. She\u2019s not confident that would make a difference and, she added, that would send a negative message. To shift from the weekly routine would imply \u201cthat we are normalizing and accepting the situation of the hostages\u201d and that is a message she will not accept, she said.<\/p>\n

Ari Mansell is a core volunteer who is present for setup and teardown every week, as well as occasionally playing violin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI come here as the smallest thing I can do to help my community,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a labour of love for me. It\u2019s hard for me to stay away.\u201d<\/p>\n

His participation has made him feel more connected to his community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve increased my community around me,\u201d he said. \u201cMoving here eight years ago [from Edmonton], I didn\u2019t really know anyone here. This unfortunate event has brought us together and I\u2019m so thankful for the people that I\u2019ve got to know over this time \u2013 the musicians, Daphna, the organizers \u2013 it\u2019s enriched my life. I don\u2019t do it for me, but at the same time it\u2019s helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joanita Nakasi is one of many Christians who attend on a regular basis. She has always prayed for Israel, she said, and so, when Oct. 7 happened, she felt moved to stand with the local Jewish community. She urges others to accompany her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey should also come and join,\u201d she said. \u201cWe stand together until all our brothers and sisters are back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard Lowy, who has performed music and sung at many of the vigils, lauded the community for coming together across ideological lines.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea that you\u2019re secular, you\u2019re religious, you\u2019re nonreligious, you\u2019re right-wing, you\u2019re left-wing, you\u2019re for Trump, you\u2019re for Biden, you\u2019re Jewish \u2013 it doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d he said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what you think. When the Nazis came, they came for the Jews regardless of your beliefs or where you stood.\u201d<\/p>\n

He recounted an experience he had during the process of writing a book about the Holocaust experiences of his father, Leo Lowy, a \u201cMengele twin.\u201d The book will be released on Jan. 27, which is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I was working [on the book], I\u2019m reliving the horror of Auschwitz and looking at the faces of the people that are in this concentration camp and the families and the people that were brutalized and I had to take a break because it\u2019s just so horrific,\u201d he said. \u201cAs I walk out to the front, where the bike lane is, there is a group of young kids riding their bicycles with their Palestinian flags yelling, \u2018From the river to the sea\u2019 right in front of my house. It\u2019s just so devastating to see this.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the cold sunshine Sunday, Jonathon Leipsic asked to be described solely as \u201cpart of klal Yisrael.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Leipsic said he was asked to speak about antisemitism, but demurred.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, antisemitism is a relatively irrelevant topic,\u201d he told those gathered. \u201cYou may say have I lost my mind. What about this rising antisemitism?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Jonathon Leipsic, \u201cpart of klal Yisrael,\u201d fears sinat chinam, baseless hatred, more than antisemitism. (photo by Pat Johnson)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He said the Jewish community has done a good job teaching the next generations about antisemitism and the Shoah, to be good stewards of memory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe as a people undoubtedly will suffer, but we are eternal,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the end of the day, we are eternal if we follow the words and the guidance provided to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

What worries him more, he said, is sinat chinam<\/i>, baseless hatred.<\/p>\n

\u201cBaseless hatred among klal Yisrael and division and a lack of shalom bayit<\/i> [peace in the home] within our people \u2013 this is, by far, and has always been, the only true threat to the eternity of am Yisrael. Our rabbis teach us that the First Temple was destroyed because of the most profound and abominable sins one could imagine that could be happening within a place of Hashem…. But yet, what brought down the Second Temple? Sinat chinam. Baseless hatred among klal Yisrael.\u201d<\/p>\n

He urged the audience to embrace the diversity of opinion within the community and \u201cbe less afraid of antisemitism and much more concerned about sinat chinam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ohad Arazi moved to Canada from Israel in 2006 and has spent two decades bringing together Israeli and Canadian technology companies and people. As a son of a diplomat, he has spent more time living outside Israel than in it.<\/p>\n

He reacted negatively when, prior to moving to Canada, his mother warned him that, as a Jew, \u201cThe only place you will ever feel truly safe is here in Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so angry at her. I said, \u2018I am a child of the world,\u2019\u201d Arazi recalled. \u201cI am moving to one of the most liberal and pluralistic countries in the world. Please, Ima, don\u2019t project your scarred Holocaust psyche on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then Oct. 7 happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn that day, the world witnessed unspeakable atrocities as Hamas launched a brutal attack on Israel, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and the abduction of many,\u201d he said. \u201cBut one more thing happened that day, which is that Canadians got their first glimpse of where our country could be headed. Shortly after the news of the scope of the atrocities began coming to light, revelers and anti-Israel protesters took to the streets in Canada.\u2026 Across governments, schools, unions and media, a toxic environment has emerged, fueling hostility against Canadian Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s war against Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis is proceeding successfully, he said. \u201cBut our war, as Jews in the diaspora, the war we are facing day in and day out, is a war of ideas, a war of words, ideology and truth,\u201d said Arazi. \u201cOur Canada should be the model for building a future where the values of humanity triumph over hatred and where every hostage is safely returned to their loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aliya Oran Dobres, a 15-year-old Grade 9 student at King David High School, shared her harrowing experiences of being pursued by a threatening group at a mall because of her Star of David necklace, as well as the threats her friends have experienced. In the days after Oct. 7, her fellow students covered their uniforms when in public, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should not be scared for who we are,\u201d she said. \u201cAs Jews, we must stick together and be strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ebube Anachebe is a fourth-year electrical engineering student at the University of Calgary, who is in Vancouver for an internship. She returned days ago from her second trip to Israel in the past year, with a Christian organization called Passages.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe aim of the mission is to bring Christian students to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus,\u201d she said. \u201cHowever, since Oct. 7, they have been shifting their focus toward not just bringing students to the Holy Land, but also mobilizing Christian students to stand alongside their Jewish brothers and sisters against antisemitism.\u201d<\/p>\n

About 100 others joined Anachebe on the nine-day tour.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe experienced the Jewish roots of our faith, we experienced the love of our saviour, gifted to us by you guys, our Jewish brethren,\u201d she said. \u201cWe encountered modern Israel and we bore witness to the realities of what happened on Oct. 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shared several memorable encounters with Israeli individuals, including Shahar, a resident of Kfar Aza.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis beloved community was torn apart and ransacked by Hamas terrorists. When we asked him why he returned, he said, \u2018Israel is my home, this kibbutz is my home, I have nowhere else that I would want to go.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThe group\u2019s tour guide, Danny, recounted how, on Oct. 7, when awakened by sirens at 6:30 am, his son asked him, \u2018Daddy, why won\u2019t the bad people let Israelis sleep?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cHe shared about the difficult moment when, a couple of hours later, he was called to the reserves and he had to tell his son, \u2018I won\u2019t be here for your birthday tomorrow,\u2019\u201d Anachebe said.<\/p>\n

She said that, when Oct. 7 happened, \u201cit awoke two different camps of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt awakened the antisemites, who had been slumbering,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I tell you it also woke up leaders who didn\u2019t even realize that they were leaders until they were called up for such a time as this, to stand up against this evil of antisemitism. This is what I witnessed when I went to Israel. I witnessed leaders who will rise up and pray for Israel, the hostages and the brokenhearted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anachebe said, \u201cWe Christians see you, our Jewish brothers and sisters, as mishpachah<\/i>, family. We are standing and we are standing alongside you. Am Yisrael chai.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kfir Bibas was abducted before his first birthday. His second birthday is this Saturday. (photo by Pat Johnson) The Gregorian calendar has turned over a new year, but the vigils for the Israeli hostages continue without interruption. Daphna Kedem, who has organized the weekly events since hours after the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, acknowledged […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[23777,23773,22226,23778,22700,5260,4330,23774,8380,23775,22725,23776,22180,22107,5807],"class_list":["post-45783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-aliya-oran-dobres","tag-ari-mansell","tag-daphna-kedem","tag-ebube-anachebe","tag-hostages","tag-interfaith","tag-israel","tag-joanita-nakasi","tag-jonathon-leipsic","tag-klal-yisrael","tag-oct-7","tag-ohad-arazi","tag-rallies","tag-richard-lowy","tag-volunteering"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45783\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}